Candidate blasts mailers near election time

An opening salvo was launched this week against Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny when her Republican opponent charged her with using taxpayers' money on campaign materials.

After a relatively quiet primary campaign, former Nevada State trooper Steve Harney said the Clark County quarterly newsletter, "Sandstone," was misused, partially because pictures featuring Kenny were published.

"They feature pictures of Erin Kenny taking credit for everything but the sun coming up in the morning," Harney said. "I am calling for a moratorium on their use from June through November of election years."

Sandstone is mailed to Clark County residents to update them on developments in each county district. Harney said residents in his district -- District F -- have told him they hadn't received the quarterly regularly until recently. He said one was delivered before the primary election and the most recent before the general election.

Kenny said the newsletters are consistently mailed to Clark County residents. One came out in May, four months before the primary election, and the latest issue is just now being distributed.

"Mr. Harney is misinformed," Kenny said. "This is a quarterly publication that goes out to every resident no matter whether they are a registered voter. He doesn't understand mailing cycles."

Harney said newsletters that promote an incumbent's work shouldn't be distributed in the months leading up to an election.

"Even the kings of government waste, the federal government, do not allow members of Congress to mail during election season," Harney said. "Erin is giving the public even more reason to question her judgment when it comes to responsible management of county funds."

Kenny said failing to mail out newsletters in a county that is quickly growing would be unfair to residents.

"We take our business of communicating with the public seriously," Kenny said. "It would be a great disservice to the community to restrict elected officials from informing the public of what's going on in the community."

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